Summer Nights | Lams

June 6th

The next morning John brought his sketchbook to breakfast.

"What're you doing?" Alex asked. "You're gonna get gravy on the paper."

John rolled his eyes. "My biscuits are like a foot away, I think I'll be fine."

"Why'd you bring it today, son?" George asked. John shrugged.

"Alex told me I notice things so... I guess I'm noticing things right now," he answered.

"Well, you should still eat, John," Martha told him. "You can't draw all the way through breakfast."

John looked at his biscuits and gravy then back at his sketchbook, before reluctantly closing it.

Later in the day, John and Alex were sitting in their cabin. Alex was on his phone, and John had his face buried in his sketchbook. Alex looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think you've stopped drawing in that thing since breakfast," Alex said.

"Did you not bring a razor?" John asked, ignoring his comment. Alex's eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me?"

"Like, for shaving," John clarified. "You've been scratching at your scruff the past couple days, but you haven't shaved."

Alex flushed. "Oh, I, uh, yeah. I forgot to. I've actually done it every year before this, too. I think George gets tired of having to give me one of his unused ones every year, though, so I was trying to put off asking him for one."

"I think I brought a second in case mine got rusted. You can use that."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked. John gave him a short nod without looking up from his paper. Alex grinned. "Are you still noticing things?" Once again John nodded. "Are you gonna tell me about them?"

"Not yet."

After a couple of hours, someone knocked on the door of the cabin. Alex looked up, likely curious to see if John would react at all, only to be disappointed.

"Come in!" Alex yelled, likely concluding that John wasn't going to look up from his sketchbook, much less acknowledge the person outside. Peggy walked through the cabin door.

"Do you guys wanna chill outside today?" she asked. "It's supposed to get wicked hot after today, so we might as well enjoy the decent weather while it lasts."

"Did you just say wicked?" Alex asked. Peggy furrowed her eyebrows.

"Uhm... I think so?" she said. "Why?"

Alex snorted. "Because it makes you sound like a Tony Hawk wannabe."

Peggy stuck her tongue out at him. "Wow, you're so funny. Now do you wanna come or not?"

"Sure, I think that sounds good. You wanna come, John?"

John didn't respond, still sketching. Peggy cleared her throat.

"Earth to John. Do you wanna come?"

John still didn't say anything, nor did he look up. Alex and Peggy looked between each other, before turning back to the artist.

"John!" they yelled in unison. John jumped and finally looked between the two of them.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to come outside for the day?" Peggy asked like she was talking to a three-year-old. John looked at Alex.

"Is he going?" Peggy nodded. "Then I am, too. Different lighting will be good anyways."